In Defense Of Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D

Just a port? Not worth anyone's time? No way. Naked Snake's portable romp is just what 3DS needs.

Recently, I was surprised to learn that a few Modojo readers seem disinterested with Konami's Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D. Granted, it's a port of an eight-year-old game, with features that may seem archaic today. One can certainly make the argument why both Konami and Kojima Productions wasted precious time working on it. After all, wouldn't it be a better idea to design a brand new entry in the MGS franchise?

In a way, yes. I'll take a new game over an old one any day of the week. Conversely, bringing Snake Eater to 3DS makes a lot of sense.

Think about when it first debuted in June 2010, several months before 3DS even launched. I viewed it as Konami's way to test the 3DS waters, and based on the handheld's early (and slow) performance, it was a smart decision to go with a port.

First, it's probably much easier (and I'd wager less expensive) to bring a PS2 title to 3DS over investing the man hours necessary to create a whole story, characters and innovative features in some new game. Granted, Capcom chose to do this with Resident Evil: Revelations, but that's Capcom. I don't know what the situation was like at Konami.

What's more, not everyone played/finished Snake Eater, including this guy. I read many positive things about it, but don't recall spending significant time with the game. In other words, it's new to me.

One reader said I shouldn't expect big sales. Quite frankly, I don't know what to expect. The game could perform well (especially with that elusive Snake Camouflage bundle) or bomb. If it manages to sell, though, I'd like to think Konami will bring future Metal Gear Solid titles to 3DS down the road.

Bottom line, publishers have different approaches to new hardware. Some design sequels and new IPs right away, while others adopt a more conservative approach to see how well the system performs.

In no way do I feel Konami has slighted 3DS or doesn't care about the system. Quality notwithstanding, the company has already released Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D (with 2012 on the way), Frogger 3DS and Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights. It would appear the publisher remains committed to the platform.

Not only that, but 3DS needs more games like this, especially ones carrying an M-rating to attract older players. It can't be about Mario and Luigi all the time. This is Nintendo's way of competing with Sony's more adult crowd.

On top of that, consumers who were kids in 2004 have made their way to adulthood by now. Like me, they also missed out on experiencing this gem.

Taking all this into account, I plan to welcome Snake Eater 3D into the 3DS family, and look forward to spending quality time in the jungle. I just hope it was worth the wait.